Guide roller assembly



Jan. 2, 1968 E- Q @ONE-T 3,361,489

GUIDE ROLLER AS SEMBLY Filed March 14, 1965 www;

A T TORNEY United States Patent O 3,361,489 GUiDE ROLLER ASSEMBLY Edmond R. Gionet, Warren, Mich., assigner to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Fiied Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 534,103 Claims. (Cl. 30S-3.8)

This invention relates to guide roller assemblies and more particularly to split type guide roller assemblies.

One feature of this invention is that it provides an improved split type guide roller assembly including a pair of roller portions received between spaced walls of a channel member and integral means on each of the roller portions biasing the portions apart with respect to each other and into engagement with a respective wall of the channel member. A further feature of this invention is that the integral means comprise projections which extend angularly from each roller portion and are arranged in complementary pairs located between the roller portions and in resilient engagement with each other. A further feature of this invention is that each of the roller portions includes an annular body having a continuous annular outer periphery and the projections extend from the body inwardly of the periphery. Yet another feature of this invention is that the roller portions include hub portions telescopically located with respect to each other and provided with cooperating means limiting the roller portions to corotation as a unit. Yet a further feature of this invention is that one of the hub portions receives a stud for mounting the guide roller assembly on a support member and includes means cooperating with means on the stud for axially locating the one roller portion with respect to the stud,

These and other features of the guide roller assembly of this invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a guide roller assembly according to this invention taken generally along the plane indicated by line 1 1 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 is a partially broken away elevational view of the guide roller assembly; and

FIGURE 3 is a broken away perspective view.

Referring now to the drawings, a guide roller assembly 1t) according to this invention includes a channel member 12 and a guide roller 14 which is received Within the channel member. The channel member 12 includes a side wall 15 and a pair of end Walls 16 which extend laterally of wall 15 and are joined to spaced portions of a side wall 1S.

The guide roller 14 includes an inner roller portion or member and an outer-roller portion or member 22 of resilient plastic material, such as nylon. Member 22 includes an annular hub portion 24 which is received over an annular hub portion 26 of member 20 to locate these members in telescopic relationship with respect to each other. Hub portion 24 includes a longitudinal groove 28 which receives a longitudinal rib 30 of hub portion 26 to key members 2) and 22 to each other for corotation as a unit. Hub portion 26 includes an integral projecting tab 32 having a shoulder 34 which is located adjacent the free end of hub portion 24 when the members have been assembled with respect to each other to limit sliding movement of the hub portions with respect to each other.

A stud 36 includes an annular body 3S and a frustoconical head 4G. Stud 36 is received within the hub portion 26 of member 20 with the head portion thereof in engagement with a complementary tapered seat 42 of member 20. Stud 36 is provided with an annular groove 44 and a tapered annular rib 46 of hub portion 26 fits within the groove 44 when the stud has been inserted within member Ztl to thereby ensure seating of the head 4i) of the stud against the seat 42 of member 29.

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The member Ztl includes an integral annular body 48 which seats on wall 12 and member 22 includes an integral annular body 50 which seats on wall 18. The diameter of the bodies 43 and Sil is generally equal to the distance between the end Walls 16 of channel member 12 and the outer peripheral portions 52 of each of the bodies 48 and 5% are shaped so as to conform to the arcuate juncture shoulders between the walls 15 and 16 and 16 and 1S.

The annular body 48 is provided with four circumferentially spaced integral deliectable tabs or projections 54 which extend angularly therefrom and likewise body 5) is provided with four tabs 56 which are complementary to tabs 54. The tabs 54 and 56 have their free end portions in sliding engagement with each other and are defiected radially outwardly of their normal position to provide a resilient bias urging bodies 48 and 50 apart with respect to each other and into engagement with their respective walls 15 and 1S. The key arrangement provided by groove 28 and rib Sil provide means for indexing the members 2t) and 22 with respect to each other to ensure that the tabs 54 and 56 are axially aligned so as to engage each other.

It will be noted that the tabs 54 and 56 are located intermediate the roller members 2t? and 22 and, further, that each of the roller members is provided with a continuous outer peripheral portion 52 to provide smooth relative movement between the guide channel 12 and the roller member 14.

ln certain mechanisms or durlng movement between certain portions of the mechanism, the stud 35 may tilt or be located angularly with respect to the guide channel 12 rather than normal thereto as shown. If this does occur, the annular bodies 48 and 5t? will, of course, have to move toward each other and the integral deiiectable projections 54 and S6 will, of course, permit such movement but still maintain as much engagement as possible between the peripheral portions 52 of the bodies and the Walls of the channel member 16 as well as provide a resilient bias tending to return the bodies 48 and 543 to their normal position as shown. By thus permitting the stud 36 to swivel or tilt with respect to the guide channel 12, the tabs 54 and 56 permit a wide range of usage of the guide roller assembly of this invention.

Thus, this invention provides an improved guide roller assembly.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising, a channel member having spaced side walls, a roller member having spaced roller portions received between the spaced walls of the channel member, each of said roller portions engaging a respective wall of said channel member, and a number of integral deectabie projections on each of said roller portions, said projections being located intermediate said roller portions and being engageable with each other to bias said roller portions oppositely and apart with respect to each other and into engagement with respective walls of the channel member.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said roller portions include hub portions telescopically located with respect to each other.

3. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said roller portions include cooperating means providing rotation of said roller portions as a unit.

d. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein said channel member includes end walls interconnecting said side walls, each of said roller portions including a continuous outer peripheral portion engaging a respective side wall and adjacent end wall, each of said projections extending from its respective roller portion toward a peripheral portion of the other roller portion.

A 3 Y 4 5. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein each of References Cited said roller portions includes an annular body engageable UNITED STATES PATENTS in surface-to-surface relationship with Va respective side wall, said projections extending radially and angularly from said annular body, said body including a continuous 5 outer peripheral portion engageable with a respective side 4 Wall and with spaced end Walls of said channel member MARTN P SCHWADRON P'lmay Exammer interconnecting said spaced side Walls. ROBERT A.V DUA, Examiner.

2,230,615 2/i941 Dick 16-97 2,912,288 1l/l959 Griswold 308-6 

1. THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A CHANNEL MEMBER HAVING SPACED SIDE WALLS, A ROLLER MEMBER HAVING SPACED ROLLER PORTIONS RECEIVED BETWEEN THE SPACED WALLS OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER, EACH OF SAID ROLLER PORTIONS ENGAGING A RESPECTIVE WALL OF SAID CHANNEL MEMBER, AND A NUMBER OF INTEGRAL DEFLECTABLE PROJECTIONS ON EACH OF SAID ROLLER PORTIONS, SAID PROJECTIONS BEING LOCATED INTERMEDIATE SAID ROLLER PORTIONS AND BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH OTHER TO BIAS SAID ROLLER PORTIONS OPPOSITELY AND APART WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH RESPECTIVE WALLS OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER. 